Of Gillyweed and Carrow Blood
by Roanelle
Summary: A tale of the adventures of Neville Longbottom during his seventh and final year at Hogwarts in which he not only defies the teachings of the Carrows but inspires the minds of his classmates and fellow DA members. Join him through his many perils...
1. Introduction: Platform 9 34

**Platform 9 ¾ **

Neville stood facing the rusted brick pillar between platforms 9 and 10. His back was straight, his head held high, and his face, though still rather boyish, had a sense of darkness lingering in his brows. These last few years had affected him to his very core; Dumbledore's Army, the death of the old headmaster, and the return of He-who-must-not-be-named were only a summary of his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His thoughts began to wander through Gryffindor Tower, the games of chess, the parties after having won Quidditch tournaments…

How many friends would he see back this year? Certainly not Harry, Ron, or Hermione. His friends of Muggle lineage would have to be completely insane to even step foot in London this year. How many teachers would still be present? Neville's thoughts remained upon this last question and as he mulled it over he came to the conclusion that even though most of his professors would be loathe to return to the castle for this season, his seventh and final year, that they would show up anyway for, if no better reason, to protect the students and that which they loved and lived for: Hogwarts.

An impatient sigh sounded from his right and Neville looked down upon his grandmother, Augusta, with a sudden smile and flame of eternal love and gratitude erupted in the depths of his eyes.

"Neville," she said looking up his tall frame to face him, "You take care of yourself this year, you hear? Don't let anyone tell you what is right and wrong. You know the truth in your heart. Stand up for what is right! It's what your parents would have done."

Neville gave a sad, sort of somber nod, kissed his grandmother on the cheek, narrowly avoiding her large vulture hat, and said in reply only, "I will, Gran."

He turned to face the pillar again. Settling his hands upon the trolley holding his trunk he began to push it as a sense of deep anxiety filled the very depths of his stomach.

"Wait, Neville!" cried his grandmother as she stooped down to pick something off of the floor, "You're leaving Trevor behind again!" Neville gave a chuckle and slipped the old frog into his pocket, "Thanks, Gran," he whispered.

The pillar was growing in size as Neville came charging at it, almost breaking into a run and then, he was through.


	2. Chapter One: Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts Express

He had no idea what to expect. Chaos, Death Eaters, dementors, family's being split asunder, wayward spells hitting those that had tried to conceal and smuggle their muggle-born's in, Voldemort himself? No, this was far worse. Instead of the expected noise and confusion there was only absolute and total silence. Families scurried across the pale gray stone hushing their frightened children as they ushered them towards the train, sitting lifeless upon its tracks, the very portrait of despair itself. There was no physical sign of any evil upon Platform 9 ¾, though an unpleasant feeling hung in the misty air as the cloudy skies painted shadows upon the cobblestones. Fathers glanced nervously about the open space, mothers hugged their young ones close, and the prefects tried their best to file the students onto the train as quickly as they could. The implied sense of dread was much worse than any physical representation of the new order. One had no idea where the danger lurked…

Neville shoved his trolley warily up to one of the coach doors, unloaded his belongings, and dragged them into the seemingly empty hollow of the steel machine. He walked down through the cars looking from compartment to compartment for any sign of his friends. So far all he had seen were empty seats and sullen looking youths, though every once in a while a first year would be heard whispering excitedly that they could turn their noses green!

"Why hello there, Neville!" said a pleasant and quite unperturbed voice from behind him, "Would you like to join us in this compartment?"

The voice came from non other than his good friend and Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. How he had missed her presence in the compartment behind him, he did not know.

"Of course, Luna!" he replied, "I'd love to." A true and warm smile lifted his lips as he entered the compartment and greeted Ginny and Seamus with the same enthusiasm as he had Luna. Stacking his trunk on the shelves above them he took a seat across from Luna and Ginny and began to speak to Seamus about his summer.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," said Seamus, "The most interesting news we got was that Muggle-born's wouldn't be allowed to attend the school this year, but that was only to be expected anyways."

They're conversation eventually drifted down to the topic that was most prominent in their minds: Harry.

"I believe he has a specific task to do to help us win this war," said Seamus.

"And how exactly do you know that?" asked Ginny, though a certain hint of hope and concern filtered through her voice whenever his name was mentioned.

"Well," said Neville, "It's rather hard sharing the same dormitory with five boys for six years and to not overhear things! They must be doing just that because they haven't been seen all summer, ever since the fall of the ministry. Harry was discussing with Ron last year that they would have to go into hiding to search for something that would help him defeat You-know-who"

"My dad believes so as well!" chimed Luna, "He's been printing stories about the true happenings in the ministry all summer in the Quibbler. He's trying to keep all of the disappearances listed and is doing the real reporting for the Wizarding World. Daddy has always been on Harry's side."

"That's great, Luna!" exclaimed Seamus, "but aren't you worried that the Death Eaters will want that to be all hushed up? Don't you worry about your father?"

"Of course I do," she said, "but they won't try anything for a while and he says that when the time comes he'll just go into hiding like some of the Muggle families. As long as he knows that I'm safe with the professors at Hogwarts he'll be fine!"

Suddenly the train stopped. There was the sound of a trunk falling on someone's head in the compartment behind Neville (which was also accompanied by a loud stream of swears) and compartment doors began to open as the chatter of students intensified. Everyone hushed as the coach door opened and a very squat looking woman (if you could call her a woman) strode in and began walking down the aisles. A moment later a man entered behind her, his appearance much the same, and began to follow her down the aisle all the time whispering to her the names Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

"Open this door!" shrieked the squat woman as she came to a compartment that was still shut. She practically cracked its glass panels with the force of her pounding fist. The door immediately opened to reveal two third year boys trying very hard to conceal their Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products.

"Filth." stated the woman as she pointed her wand at their contents. "Confringo!" The small amount of sweets burst into flames and the two boys watched in horror as the plastic wrappers melted into the seats.

The siblings, for they obviously were, continued down the aisle. The squat man came to stand in front of Cormac McLaggen, a fellow Gryffindor whose uncle, Tiberius, had strong connections to the Ministry of Magic, who in turn said to the man's face, "My father _will _hear about this!" The man only smirked at Cormac and asked, with the intention of being heard by everyone in the coach, "Has anyone seen Mr. Harry Potter or any of his known cohorts board the train today?" It seemed like such an absurd and out of place question that Neville, who had remained silent so far, could take it no longer. Rising from his seat, his lips set in a grim line, his eyes suddenly blazed with a fire that would never be quenched. He never could recall why he did it, only that it was the beginning of the most gratifying moments of his life.

"Hey, _losers_," he said in a loud and commandingly clear voice, "He's not here!"

A sort of scared silence followed this statement as the woman turned to face Neville with a look of surprised shock on her face until she fully became aware of what had just transpired.

"HOLD YOU TONGUE BOY!" she screamed. As she came flying at Neville she stretched out her hand, brought it back behind her head, and swung it about with such ferocity that when it struck his face it sent poor Neville's head smacking into the glass door, and this time the glass did break.

"How dare you speak to us like that, foolish boy! I'll be seeing you in Mr. Filch's office the moment the train reaches Hogwarts, mister…,"

"Longbottom," snarled Neville as he straitened, his shoes cracking upon the glass slivers.

Nodding at him with narrowed eyes the two siblings left through the door and continued to search the next coach. Many of the students near Neville began whispering excitedly and sending him encouraging looks as he massaged his red face.

"Neville!" exclaimed Seamus, "Where the hell did that come from, man?"

"I have no idea," chuckled Neville despite the pain whenever he moved his lips.

"Oh I hate them already and I don't even know who they are! Reparo!" cried Ginny as soon as she had fixed and closed the door again.

"They must be Death Eaters sent to keep a watch on the happenings at Hogwarts this year," mused Luna.

"I wonder who the headmaster is going to be what with Dumbledore… gone…" wondered Ginny.

No one knew the answer. The hour began to grow late as dusk set upon the cloudy sky. They donned their robes and prepared to exit the train as the lights of Hogwarts castle, though numbed and mute, gave them a sign of hope. The train sighed to a halt and with many a hiss and a crack the engine began to cool.

It was so wrong. Professor McGonagall's voice slipped through the thin air calling, "First years! First years hurry this way, please!" The boats upon the dock below the train seemed empty, devoid of life, and utterly too big without the friendly presence of Hagrid.

"Mr. Longbottom," came a drawling voice from behind Neville, "follow me."

Filch led Neville off towards the castle as Luna, Ginny, and Seamus looked sympathetically after him.


	3. Chapter Two: A NotSoFilling Feast

**A Not-So-Filling Feast**

Neville followed the care-taker through the dungeons to his office where shackles, ropes, and whips lined the walls, oiled and ready for use. These instruments of torture seemed to have been handled recently (it was rumored that the old bastard loved them almost as much as his pet cat, Mrs. Norris) and their polished surfaces gleamed eerily at Neville as he stood in the doorway.

Filch, grinning mischievously, ordered Neville to sit. Neville then watched as Filch reached into a filing cabinet and pulled out a thin manila folder with "Longbottom, Neville" scribbled across the top in red ink. There were only a few papers in the folder (most of them from the instances when Neville was caught lost around the castle and unable to find the common room in time for bed).

Filch leered down at Neville as he began to mutter while he wrote on a new piece of parchment.

"Yelling absurdities at school professors… shattering train doors…"

Neville snorted, interrupting Filch with a sarcasm worthy of Draco Malfoy, "Because it's not like she slammed me into the door in the first place!"

Filch's quill paused mid-stroke as he snapped his gaze up, anger and curiosity playing in his eyes. He had never known Neville to be one to back-talk or stand up for himself and this was definitely the first time the boy had ever said _anything _to him.

"Watch your tongue, boy! Or you'll find yourself written up for more than a detention!"

The door to Filch's office suddenly flung open and in strode the squat woman from the train.

"Filch," she started, followed by an almost undecipherable acknowledgement of 'Alecto Carrow' from the squib, "Good to see you!" she said, her tone greasy though her eyes burned with a disgusted dislike. "Longbottom, I need you and Mr. Filch in the Great Hall for the feast this evening! I believe that more than a detention is in order here. An example needs to be made of those foolish enough to defy those of… higher standing than the _ordinary _professor."

With a sickening smirk she signaled to Filch (who was grinning from ear to ear) and together they led a nervous yet determined Neville up several flights of stairs until he could begin to smell the delicious scent of the house-elves' cooking beneath the Great Hall. 'Good, they haven't started yet!' he thought, trying to make the tension ease. His stomach rumbled at the prospect and hope returned with the smell of his favorite mashed potatoes…

The Great Hall was, surprisingly, thriving with smiling, talkative, hungry students. Most of their usual teachers were sitting at the staff table except for the Muggle Studies professor, Severus Snape, and… well… the headmaster, whoever he or she may be. Filch roughly marched him on as the scraping of the stool upon which the sorting hat sat was being removed from the front. For the first time Neville had missed the sorting.

As Neville, Filch, and Alecto entered the Great Hall a stunned and unpleasant silence threatened to explode one's eardrums. 'Why was Neville in the Great Hall?' they all wondered, for word had spread of his retaliation against the Carrows like doxies through an abandoned house. The Slytherins smirked, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws drew pitied expressions, and the Gryffindors were torn between waiting to see what would happen or just getting Neville out of there right then and there. They waited too long. Alecto grabbed Neville by the ear, which was almost comical in a way as he was at least a foot and a half taller than her, and turned to face everyone.

"Students of Hogwarts," she began, her voice full of wicked glee, "There is a new order of things. You must learn your own place in this order or face the penalty!" She paused for dramatic effect and began again in a growing crescendo of anger, "This boy, Neville Longbottom, has not only spoke out of turn against both my brother and I, loyal to our fellow wizards!"

"You mean fellow _Death Eaters_, more like," muttered Ginny.

"Therefore, due punishment is in order that would do you all some good to witness!" She finished with a hiss.

Seamus' face paled and Luna's eyes watered with hot, angry tears (Ginny was positively as read as a tomato) as Alecto pointed her wand at Neville and shouted, "Crucio!". The Great Hall was stone-still as Neville fell to the ground, writhing in pain, though, due to his DA experiences against Death Eaters he forced himself not to scream. Students sat with mouths agape, expressions of horror (or in most Slytherins' cases, glee) at what was unfolding before their eyes. The younger students, not knowing the difference between an unforgivable curse and any other regular spell looked on in misplaced curiosity and craned their heads for a better look.

Dissapointed that Neville had neglected to give the entire effect that she had wanted, Alecto frowned as she walked over to her victim, "You'll scream before the end of the year, Longbottom" she whispered dangerously. Giving him a kick in the stomach she began to walk between the tables of stunned and silent students towards the staff table.

Professor McGonagall, reviving herself from her shock, practically knocked over her chair as she began to run towards Neville. She was stopped mid-way however by a shadow lurking in the doorway of the Great Hall.

"Best to keep your place, Minerva" drawled Severus Snape as his face, greasy and cold, drew out of the darkness, "We wouldn't want to have to replace you, now would we?" Here he paused to gaze intently into Minerva's eyes with a look that reeked of death. "Madam Pomfrey," called Snape without turning his face from McGonagall, "Take this boy to the hospital wing."

Alecto furiously sputtered, "But, Severus…"

"What?" Snape snarled, "Leave him here? We don't want any first years getting sick their first night at the great feast just because some insolent seventh year is lying half-dead on the ground. Try thinking for once Alecto. It would do you some good…" And with that Snape started towards the staff table without a backward glance, Alecto following behind like an abused dog.

As soon as Alecto and her brother (whose name was Amycus) took their seats, Severus Snape, former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and Potions Master, stood behind the headmaster's podium (or as many students still thought "Dumbledore's podium"). Every face, every pair of eyes, was trained on the sinister man. Some looked on with curiosity, many with anger, several with hatred (these were mostly Gryffindors), though the Slytherins' faces practically glowed with triumph.

"I, Severus Snape, newly appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, welcome you. A new age has dawned," Snape began, "To the first years, I trust that you will not cause trouble because you have not seen things under the previously unruly, demeaning, and chaotic order of one Albus Dumbledore. Therefore you will be privileged to be a part of a new learning environment to which you will have never been subjected to the lies and atrocities of previous years. To our returning students, I hope that you will associate with and embrace the philosophy of the truths to which we give you. If you should fail to cohere to these and endanger your fellow students, however, well, you may end up in a position such as Mr. Longbottom." He paused here to sneer mockingly around the Great Hall. The Gryffindors were only kept in their seats by a pleading Ginny who whispered repeatedly that no more fellow students should need the hospital wing on their first evening back.

"Here at Hogwarts there are a few things that need to be said, some new, some old, that will be as follows: firstly, and as always, the Forbidden Forest is off-limits. Any student caught roaming about the forest will be given an immediate detention if not something much more unpleasant… Secondly, the Muggle Studies class has had a content reform and all students interested in taking this class will come to understand the threat and proper place that muggles hold. Thirdly, I would like to introduce some of our newest members of the faculty. Please welcome Professor Grubby-Plank who will be teaching Care of Magical Creatures, Alecto Carrow who will be teaching the new Muggle Studies course, and Amycus Carrow who will be teaching the Dark Arts."

There was much muttering and fearful whispers as the students realized that the words "Defense Against the…" were missing from the position title.

"Now that we've got that settled," Snape snapped, clearly disliking the amount of chatter, "May the feast begin." His sour expression and narrow gaze did nothing to enlighten the mood however as the feast suddenly appeared upon the table.

The Great Hall was quiet at first, students chose to eat in silence, afraid that if they seemed happy in any way shape or form that Snape would give them a detention. Though, as Seamus noticed a few moments later, Snape was nowhere to be seen.

"The slimy git," grunted Seamus through a mouthful of treacle tart, "Too good for feasts now isn't he?" Ginny just nodded and looked over at Luna who was sitting by herself, as usual, at the Ravenclaw table, wiping hot tears of anger away. A girl named Hannah Abbot, who was also previously a DA member, leaned over suddenly from the Hufflepuff talbe and gave Luna a blue handkerchief.

Slowly the conversation began to pick up as the students couldn't let the nasty events that had occurred earlier in the evening to drown their excitement at beginning their classes and once more being among their friends. Seamus and Ginny were among the first to leave the Hall.

Climbing up the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny and Seamus gave the password (Devil's Snare) and climbed into the Gryffindor common room. Sitting next to the fireplace with a relatively calm expression was Neville.

"Neville!" cried Ginny as she ran over to him, "Are you alright? Are you ok?" He smiled as Ginny began to fuss over him like her mother did over her numerous sons.

"I'm going to be fine, Ginny," he said with a tired smile, "Just a little sore in the morning. Madam Pomfrey really can work wonders." Seamus gave him a brotherly but gentle pat on the back.

"Neville, have you got guts!" Seamus started, "I mean, not letting her onto your pain? That's insane!"

"And absolutely HORRIBLE!" screamed Ginny, "How _dare _she? You're a student! Unforgivable curses are supposed to be forbidden!"

"Well, that's the key word now isn't it?" asked Neville, "'Supposed'. A lot of things were supposed to be… but not anymore."

Their conversation was cut short by the clambering forms of the first year Gryffindors coming through the portal.

"Well boys," sighed Ginny, "Goodnight. And Neville… get some sleep." She walked over to the girls' dormitories as she sadly smiled back at her two DA friends.

Later that evening found Neville and Seamus alone in their dormitory. Seamus, fast asleep and snoring rather loudly, was Neville's only comfort. Harry and Ron were obviously gone, probably hiding from Death Eaters at this very moment and Dean, their fellow muggle-born wizard was hopefully on the run. Neville lay there, unable to sleep, wondering what courage had awoken in him today and how much trouble it would get him in. Suddenly a voice in the back of his head marched to the front and practically growled, "Trouble doesn't mean anything as long as you know the good in the cause that you're fighting for." Neville mulled this idea over for quite some time before, agreeing with it, he fell asleep.

Severus slipped along the long hallway that led to the headmaster's office. Me muttered the password "valerian roots" toward the gargoyle and began to ascend the spiral staircase. Upon opening the oak door with the pheonix knocker, Snape sighed and shut the door behind him. Looking up to his left he gazed upon the portrait of a slumbering Dumbledore. Another sigh. Severus retired to his rooms for the remainder of the evening, knowing that this year would be the most difficult yet...


End file.
